Hostile Home Front [Black Ops Brotherhood 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (23 page)

Amy felt panic start to rise when she felt cold steel press against her neck.

* * * *

Gavin drove up to the house and instantly felt something was out of sorts. He pressed the garage door opener in his truck and felt the hair on his neck rise. Amy’s car was gone. When he walked into the house he could tell she had not been home because the house was pitch-black.

Even when Amy went out with someone for the evening, she left the light on over the stove and would have been home by now. It was almost one thirty in the morning. He checked the messages on the answering machine. There were no calls in the last couple of days. He dug out his cell phone as he rampaged through the house looking for any sign that she had been home.

“Gamez, it’s me, Walsh. I need you to call me back ASAP. I have an emergency,” Gavin said and he hung up the phone.

Gavin dialed Irene’s cell phone and got a response after a couple of rings.

“Irene, Gavin. I’m sorry to wake you up, but did you hear from Amy today?’ Gavin asked.

“No, why?” Irene asked, alarmed.

“When did you last talk to her?” Fear gripped him.

“About nine, when she closed the library. She called me when she was getting into her car. Where are you?” Irene asked as panic tainted her voice.

“I’m home and she’s not here,” Gavin said as a call interrupted. It was Lieutenant Gamez. “Irene, I’ll call you right back.” Gavin switched over the call.

“What’s up, Chief?” Lieutenant Gamez asked in a sleepy voice.

“Get those tracking beacons working. There should be two that are active. One I know is at a warehouse on the south side of Victoria. I need to know where the other one is,” Gavin said as he jumped into his truck.

“Okay, Chief. I’ll be at the office in twenty.”

“I want a location as soon as you know it.”

Gavin had placed a tracking beacon under the back of Amy’s car right after he had taken them from Lieutenant Gamez. They had used Amy’s beacon as an experiment to see if they were accurate. Gavin left it in place because Tim was an unpredictable asshole and Gavin always believed he would try something like this. He got a hold of himself and the fear that gripped him. He knew there was no way to help Amy if he panicked. He took a deep breath and focused.

David had been constantly calling Gavin while he was on the phone with Gamez and while he was on the way to the station. He disregarded the calls and phoned Jimmy and then Rock. Within fifteen minutes, four men from the Victoria SWAT team were assembled, waiting for him to arrive. By the time he arrived at his office, he also had a location on Amy. Her car and her cell phone, at least, were in Victoria.

An advance team with Jimmy found the car and managed to get reconnaissance accomplished. They informed Gavin that Amy was at the same warehouse where the semi that Gavin had followed was parked. They had also managed to get eyes on Amy and she was all right. SWAT started planning how they would deal with the situation. Gavin would wear the FBI hat and because of the interagency agreement he had with the Navy, the small contingent of SEALs would be used as “advisors.” Rock and his bunch of “advisors” arrived in Victoria within the hour by helicopter. SWAT and the SEALs were briefed and a plan of attack was quickly developed. They were leaving when David Ortiz stormed into the briefing room.

“What the fuck is going on and where is Amy?” David demanded.

“Not now, David. I have it under control,” Gavin said calmly.

“You ain’t got shit under control and this is all your fucking fault!” David roared.

“Get the fuck out of my way and let me do my job,” Gavin snarled.

“Fuck you! I told you to stay the hell away from her, motherfucker! You’ve got her in the middle of something and she could get hurt! Who the fuck did you piss off?” David screamed.

“I know where she is! Now get the fuck out of my way before it’s too late!” Gavin roared back.

Gavin charged past David and made a beeline for his SWAT team that was waiting for him to arrive. They decided to go black, not using sirens and lights as they surrounded the area. Jimmy had called while he was en route and told him there was some sudden activity in the warehouse. Gavin narrowed his eyes as he drove. The perpetrators at the warehouse had to have been tipped off just now.
Got you motherfucker, now I know for sure who you are.

* * * *

“Get up,” Marco commanded as he pointed the gun at Amy.

Marco had just called Livingston to come and pick up his money. This setup was working out nicely. Livingston and Rivera would take the fall as instructed. Marco was to take the package to San Antonio and start working from a new base of operation. He liked that idea better because he could get lost in a big city.

Marco walked behind Amy as she made her way down the narrow metal steps. She is a beautiful woman, he pondered as he took in her backside. Amy Livingston had long, thick, beautiful chocolate hair, a curvy figure, and was dressed very nicely. Her big brown eyes and kind face showed her personality. He could tell she was a really nice person. She was the perfect bait for his plan. Her boyfriend would come running and his trap would be set and he would soon be eliminated. That FBI agent had caused enough damage and Marco was tired of dodging him.

He heard Livingston’s car pull in the back of the warehouse. Tim got out of his vehicle and his expression turned dark when he saw Amy.

* * * *

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Tim evilly whispered.

Amy’s body went rigid with fear. Terror grabbed her by the throat and she could feel panic start to grow as her heart raced. It was getting difficult to breathe. She could feel the nausea start to rise. She closed her eyes for a second and thought about Gavin. The thought of him seemed to give her the strength to continue standing and not collapse. Amy brought her thoughts into focus.

Don’t let him into your head,
Amy heard Gavin whisper. Gavin was close. She could feel him, and the knowledge that he would never let her get hurt was giving her the courage she would need to stand up to Tim and get through this situation. She opened her eyes. Tim was nose to nose with her. He stepped back when he saw her eyes narrow and the resolve to fight take hold.

“He’s not here to save you, bitch!” Tim snarled.

“He doesn’t need to be,” Amy said evenly.

A slow, dangerous smile crept over Tim’s face. “Is this my bonus?” he asked Marco.

“Want me to wrap it up?” Marco replied with a smile.

Amy hit the ground when Tim struck her. He reached down and grabbed her long hair. The pain caused by the blow was equal to the pain he was inflicting as he lifted her by her hair to face him.

“I told you, no fucking piece of paper will ever take you from me. I hope the meathead taught you some new tricks. You’ll need every single one of them,” Tim snarled.

“Go to hell, you bastard! I’ll make you rape my dead body this time!” Amy spat.

* * * *

“Wait for it, badass. She looks like she’s doing okay for herself,” Rock whispered as he grabbed Gavin.

“I’ll kill that motherfucker, Rock!” Gavin growled lowly.

“I’m with you,
but
you’ll get
her
killed in the process if you move now. We’ve got to wait for Rivera.”

Gavin almost came out of his skin when he saw Tim slap Amy and knock her to the ground. He tossed around how long he could string out the little prick’s death and fuck with him until Tim begged for Gavin to kill him.

Rock, Gavin, Gamez, and two SWAT officers had gained entry into the warehouse and watched the whole scenario go down. Gamez and another SWAT officer had rigged up surveillance and taped the transaction between Marco and Tim. All they needed was for Rivera to show and make this little deal complete.

If Tim tried to get away, he would be stopped and Amy would be recovered.

They heard someone walk into the warehouse. Rivera stepped out of the shadows. From his vantage point, Gavin could see Rivera’s face change. Gavin frowned slightly. Rivera looked pissed.

“What the fuck is
she
doing here?” Rivera demanded.

“It’s my bonus, thug, stay out of this,” Tim snapped.

“Are you out of your fucking mind? This is the chief of police’s niece! You don’t think he’s going to find out about this? What the fuck is wrong with you
pendejos
? Give me my money. Your delivery’s right there. I don’t want no part of this shit now.” Rivera handed Lima a metal case.

Marco handed Rivera a metal briefcase and Rivera opened it. It took a moment for him to count his money. It was the opportunity SWAT and the SEALs needed. Rivera dropped instantly when the first shot was fired. The second shot hit Marco in the shoulder. Marco dropped the gun he was holding and Tim took the opportunity to pick it up. Marco rolled behind a pallet in the warehouse as Tim grabbed Amy and started shouting.

“
I’ll fucking kill this bitch
!” Tim screamed.

Gavin came out of the shadows, his weapon leveled at Tim.

“Let her go,” Gavin snarled.

“Fuck you! I’ll kill this useless bitch!” Tim yelled backing away.

“Let…her…go. You will be dead before she hits the ground.” Gavin growled.

Tim kept backing away and pulling Amy with him toward his vehicle. There was no escape out of the warehouse. He had to let Amy go to get into his car. Tim pushed Amy toward the driver’s seat. It was the opening Gavin needed. Gavin didn’t hesitate as he squeezed off three shots to the center of Tim’s chest. Tim fell to the ground, dead. Gavin’s focus was still in full effect. He looked around and assessed his surroundings. Rivera was dead. Lima, on the other hand, was gone. After ensuring Amy was okay, Gavin and the rest of the team searched the warehouse. There were lots of cops and somehow Lima had managed to evade them all.

“Fuck, we were close!” Rock cursed. “Gamez! Let’s review the surveillance we set up and see how the fuck he managed to get out. I want to know what direction he went.”

“Wait, Rock. Not here. We need a secure location. Me, you, and Gamez only. I think I know what happened,” Gavin said.

Gavin found Amy. Senior Chief Alex “Doc” Richards, a SEAL medic who Rock had brought along, was talking to her. He knew Doc could soothe and calm Amy after all she had just been through. She looked up and smiled when she saw Gavin. He felt like he could breathe again because Amy was safe. He smiled back and continued walking toward her. Gavin felt something suddenly tear through his body. The pain he felt sear through him was familiar but he had never experienced the level of pain he was feeling now. He had to remind himself to breathe. The pain was so bad he was holding his breath.

Gavin couldn’t take the pain and tried to concentrate on walking but dropped to his knees. It was as if his entire torso was on fire. He knew he had been shot. It had happened before.
Focus!
He tried to take a deep breath, but by now breathing seemed to be impossible from the pain. He watched as Doc and Amy ran toward him. He could hear Amy call his name. He wanted to say something but focused on keeping his eyes open. He was quickly losing consciousness and was fighting to maintain a state of awareness. The last thing he wanted to do was close his eyes.

He could hear shouts in the background when he shut his eyes in pain.

* * * *

“What the fuck!” Rock yelled as he saw Gavin drop to his knees.

Doc was the first to reach Gavin. Rock and Jimmy raced to Doc and surrounded Gavin.

“Get under cover and get a fucking perimeter going! This isn’t over! Sweep the area! We’ve got a sniper!” Rock ordered.

The SEALs and SWAT went into action. Lieutenant Gamez grabbed Amy and whisked her to safety. Amy was demanding to see Gavin. Richards and Rock were dragging Gavin under cover so Doc could asses this situation.

“Get this fucking vest off!” Doc ordered.

“This was a setup. This is the work of a pro,” Rock said grimly.

“They wanted him pretty bad. This is a fucking hole! I don’t think he’ll make it, Rock.” Doc assessed the wound and started treatment.

“He better fucking make it! I need him!” Rock said.

CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital

Trauma ICU, Bed 5

Corpus Christi, Texas

February 13, 2008/1619 Zulu

When Amy walked into the room where Gavin was being kept, she almost passed out. If it had not been for Irene guiding her, she knew she would have fallen to the floor unconscious. It was almost more than she could take seeing Gavin this way. He was pale and very still. He
looked
dead. If it hadn’t been for the steady, high-pitched sounds of the monitors, she would have probably broken down then and there. It was the most frightening sight she had ever seen. There were tubes and wires running through his body and to various medications and machines. All of her worst fears had become reality in a single moment.

“Amy, mi hija, we should probably wait outside,” Irene said quietly.

Amy said nothing. She stared at the scene. It felt surreal, like a horrible nightmare. She would wake up and Gavin would be next to her, gently stroking her awake, kissing her, taking all her fears away. None of this was real. It couldn’t be.

“Mi hija, come on…” Irene urged as she turned Amy away from the scene.

“No,” Amy heard someone say firmly in the distance.

Amy realized the voice she had heard was her own. Her mind steeled and she understood that if she left now, Gavin might not survive and they would never survive together. She concluded that there was no way she was leaving her future husband alone in this condition.

Amy would not leave even if Gavin woke and demanded she leave. He had never asked anything from her.
Ever
. Gavin had always given. Now it was her turn. He
needed her
right now. He
needed her
to will him to live. She turned away from Irene and took a chair that was sitting in the corner of the room. She moved to the side of the bed and sat calmly, unwavering. She was determined that they would survive their first real test,
together.